Greetings to all three of you who read this!
I am in a very smoky Internet cafe in downtown Athens, Greece. Tonight is our last night and we thought we would do a quick email run. The trip has been amazing, to say the least. I have taken so many pictures and made so many memories already, and the summer has barely even begun.
Just thought it would be cool to post on this from Greece. I will update when I can, but maybe not until I return to the States. It all depends on the Internet connection in Kenya.
Have a great summer! Feel free to email (eks621@hotmail.com)
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
How could I forget?
I finally got my new camera! It is a black, Fujifilm Finepix S5100. It is the coolest! I even bought a fun camera bag to store all of my cool camera accessories, including a brand new 256 MB storage card! I think I will be set for my summer excursion. It has 10X zoom and 4.0 megapixels. Good stuff.
Antio! (That is good-bye in basic Greek.)
Antio! (That is good-bye in basic Greek.)
"This is it. Don't get scared now."
This lovely quote is from one of my all-time favorite movies...Home Alone. For the most part, I have remained very calm through this packing process. However, I am starting to get a little paranoid about being mugged or attacked or something. You know what though? I took kick-boxing. I lifted weights for a little bit (probably not long enough). I can defend myself. Or, I could always take my cool drum major whistle from high school...
Yes, it is nearing 2 am. I got a phone call tonight from a friend who went on the study tour two years ago. He told me why our professor is so emphatic about packing lightly. Apparently, we could be lugging our luggage for a mile or so, maybe more. Cool. Awesome. Really wish I would have known that prior to midnight the night before we leave. My suitcase is still really heavy, and I even took things out of it. I don't have enough room for all of my books without trying to kill myself. I am taking three in my carry-on, and hopefully my parents will bring the rest of the shelf in a couple of weeks.
Last night one of my friends called to ask if I would be a bridesmaid in her wedding. Of course I said yes. I am way excited about that wedding. It will be next September. Then tonight, another friend asked if I would be her maid of honor. HUGE GRIN! I have never been a maid of honor before. Well, I was kind of Krista's co-maid of honor, so I guess that is a lie. I am so excited though! It was a good moment in my kitchen to be asked by a childhood friend, one of my best friends, to play such a special role in her wedding day.
I was able to touch base with most of my good buddies before I take off tomorrow. I wish I would have had more time to spend with all of them, but it just didn't work out. I am leaving bright and early tomorrow morning, or should I say in just a few hours. We fly out at 5:40 pm from O'Hare. I will return (hopefully) to Chicago on Wednesday, July 20th at 7:40 pm.
Until July, my friends :)
Have a great summer!
Yes, it is nearing 2 am. I got a phone call tonight from a friend who went on the study tour two years ago. He told me why our professor is so emphatic about packing lightly. Apparently, we could be lugging our luggage for a mile or so, maybe more. Cool. Awesome. Really wish I would have known that prior to midnight the night before we leave. My suitcase is still really heavy, and I even took things out of it. I don't have enough room for all of my books without trying to kill myself. I am taking three in my carry-on, and hopefully my parents will bring the rest of the shelf in a couple of weeks.
Last night one of my friends called to ask if I would be a bridesmaid in her wedding. Of course I said yes. I am way excited about that wedding. It will be next September. Then tonight, another friend asked if I would be her maid of honor. HUGE GRIN! I have never been a maid of honor before. Well, I was kind of Krista's co-maid of honor, so I guess that is a lie. I am so excited though! It was a good moment in my kitchen to be asked by a childhood friend, one of my best friends, to play such a special role in her wedding day.
I was able to touch base with most of my good buddies before I take off tomorrow. I wish I would have had more time to spend with all of them, but it just didn't work out. I am leaving bright and early tomorrow morning, or should I say in just a few hours. We fly out at 5:40 pm from O'Hare. I will return (hopefully) to Chicago on Wednesday, July 20th at 7:40 pm.
Until July, my friends :)
Have a great summer!
Monday, May 23, 2005
P.S.
I almost forgot one of my favorite comments from my graded paper. Sorry to bore, I am just really excited about the way my professor received it.
There was one sentence that I threaded throughout my paper and it goes a little something like this: "But the question still remains: are these books about [homosexual lifestyles/divorce/single-parent homes] promoting these books, causing us to become numb to the idea?" At the end of one of these questions, my professor simply wrote, "Yes. They are."
Interesting, huh? When I turned my paper in, we were talking about the ways our faith tends to creep in and effect so much of our life (and rightly so). She shared with me that she goes to the Church of Latter Day Saints and that she wrestles with topics such as the one in my paper, too. It was just an interesting moment and an even more interesting conversation to have in the doorway to her office at ISU.
Anyway...I thought it was neat.
There was one sentence that I threaded throughout my paper and it goes a little something like this: "But the question still remains: are these books about [homosexual lifestyles/divorce/single-parent homes] promoting these books, causing us to become numb to the idea?" At the end of one of these questions, my professor simply wrote, "Yes. They are."
Interesting, huh? When I turned my paper in, we were talking about the ways our faith tends to creep in and effect so much of our life (and rightly so). She shared with me that she goes to the Church of Latter Day Saints and that she wrestles with topics such as the one in my paper, too. It was just an interesting moment and an even more interesting conversation to have in the doorway to her office at ISU.
Anyway...I thought it was neat.
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Children's Literature Revisited
So, while I was gone at my friends' wedding this weekend, my graded paper arrived from my professor at ISU. Good news...294/300. I got a 98% on my paper about families. This is what my teacher had to say.
Argument: "Well done."
Unity and clarity of analysis: "Not bad."
Depth of thought: "Thoughtful and clear."
Assignment requirements: "Good work."
Other comments: "I think your wrestle with your values was very productive. Because you cared, you worked harder and had a more thoughtful piece of writing as a result."
At the end of the paper, she wrote a few other comments:
"I personally think that marriage between a man and woman is ordained of God and should be protected and properly encouraged."
Overall, I am glad I wrestled with this topic and that I have still been chewing on this material. I am also really excited about the comments my professor wrote in my paper.
And that's all she wrote.
Argument: "Well done."
Unity and clarity of analysis: "Not bad."
Depth of thought: "Thoughtful and clear."
Assignment requirements: "Good work."
Other comments: "I think your wrestle with your values was very productive. Because you cared, you worked harder and had a more thoughtful piece of writing as a result."
At the end of the paper, she wrote a few other comments:
"I personally think that marriage between a man and woman is ordained of God and should be protected and properly encouraged."
Overall, I am glad I wrestled with this topic and that I have still been chewing on this material. I am also really excited about the comments my professor wrote in my paper.
And that's all she wrote.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
This Just In...
So many updates. A lot has happened in just one short week. The pressure is on. I only have a few more days at home and there is still a LOT to take care of.
First of all, as of yesterday at 1 pm, I am now even closer to my senior status at ISU. Our grades were posted and I got straight A's! I was really nervous about my chemistry exam grade, but I got exactly what I had to get to keep an A. Is it pathetic that I figured that out prior to taking the test? Oh well. I am very pleased.
We "roughed it" for finals week. Jess and I felt so ridiculous sitting on the floor trying to type on our computers. It was quite the sight. We ended up watching DVDs on my computer all week long. It was just like a fancy camp.
Hmmm...we are completely moved out of the apartment. It took several hours to clean the whole place. We also didn't realize how much "stuff" we still had to pack up and move out into our tiny little Hondas. Props to Jess who has become a super-packer! It was amazing how she got all of her stuff, including a coffee table and a vacuum cleaner, in the backseat of her nice Accord. It was kind of strange to leave that place with her, knowing that we will never be roommates again. We have lived together, through the good times and the just short of good times, for the last three years. We always had a wonderful time and we worked well together. Lots of laughs, lots of tears, and lots of fun memories!
We had our "last supper" as roommates. We went to Olive Garden and enjoyed bruschetta, alfredo dipping sauce, and even chocolate lasagna for dessert. I love that place!
I went to two showers last week, one for Melissa and one for Jess. Both of them were equally fun. Becca (Jess' sister) did a spa theme for the shower. That should explain the masks on Kim's and my face. However, if you look closely, you will notice that mine was frozen. It was just supposed to be chilled, not a solid mass of ice-like substance. It was SO COLD on my face! We enjoyed laughing about it though.
I said goodbye to the 4th graders I have been tutoring all semester. What a great group of kids. They made me this book in which they all told me goodbye. It is hilarious! One of the girls said something like this: "Thanks for coming to our class. You are nice. You know how many teachers can be meen, (note the spelling) and you were nice. Have a gerat summer!" The other entertaining one said this below a picture of a sunset: "This time has now ended." Kids say the darndest things!
I also said goodbye to my little guy Sammy. We had a fun week searching for the characters in his vents and I also witnessed him saying what might have been his first cuss word. Now I know that cussing is bad and it has the power to speak negative volumes about your character, but hearing it come out of Sammy's blunt but innocent mouth was the funniest thing I heard all week. His parents helped me move my box spring and mattress to the storage unit and then we went to dinner. Lots of laughs and a nice way to end our year together. I am really going to miss all of them this summer. I am glad that we will have email access in Kenya. It will be nice to get updates on what they are doing and how Sammy is changing over the summer. Keep your fingers crossed, this might be the summer they kiss those pull-ups goodbye!
I went fishing with Poppa G on Monday. I caught several blue gill and a few bass. It was very peaceful and very relaxing.
SIDE NOTE: I have turned my phone off twice now in the last few days. It is a really nice feeling. Sometimes my phone drives me nuts.
I leave for Europe in 6 days. OH MY GOODNESS! Where has all the time gone? It doesn't matter, I am so excited to get out of here and experience what lies ahead!
Kelly sent us some more recent pictures of the boys. I barely recognized little Isaac. My how he has changed. It makes me feel old! They made a paper chain thing to hang on their fireplace showing how many days left until Rob got to Kenya. BTW...he made it safely and will be there for the next three weeks. Please pray for all of them!
The book list has grown to 16 books. I might have to make a few cuts when it comes time to packing those beautiful hardback heavyweights into my suitcase. Thanks again for all of the suggestions! I will post my final list prior to my departure.
Thanks for sifting through all of the updates! Until I post again...adios, or should I say, arrivederci!
First of all, as of yesterday at 1 pm, I am now even closer to my senior status at ISU. Our grades were posted and I got straight A's! I was really nervous about my chemistry exam grade, but I got exactly what I had to get to keep an A. Is it pathetic that I figured that out prior to taking the test? Oh well. I am very pleased.
We "roughed it" for finals week. Jess and I felt so ridiculous sitting on the floor trying to type on our computers. It was quite the sight. We ended up watching DVDs on my computer all week long. It was just like a fancy camp.
Hmmm...we are completely moved out of the apartment. It took several hours to clean the whole place. We also didn't realize how much "stuff" we still had to pack up and move out into our tiny little Hondas. Props to Jess who has become a super-packer! It was amazing how she got all of her stuff, including a coffee table and a vacuum cleaner, in the backseat of her nice Accord. It was kind of strange to leave that place with her, knowing that we will never be roommates again. We have lived together, through the good times and the just short of good times, for the last three years. We always had a wonderful time and we worked well together. Lots of laughs, lots of tears, and lots of fun memories!
We had our "last supper" as roommates. We went to Olive Garden and enjoyed bruschetta, alfredo dipping sauce, and even chocolate lasagna for dessert. I love that place!
I went to two showers last week, one for Melissa and one for Jess. Both of them were equally fun. Becca (Jess' sister) did a spa theme for the shower. That should explain the masks on Kim's and my face. However, if you look closely, you will notice that mine was frozen. It was just supposed to be chilled, not a solid mass of ice-like substance. It was SO COLD on my face! We enjoyed laughing about it though.
I said goodbye to the 4th graders I have been tutoring all semester. What a great group of kids. They made me this book in which they all told me goodbye. It is hilarious! One of the girls said something like this: "Thanks for coming to our class. You are nice. You know how many teachers can be meen, (note the spelling) and you were nice. Have a gerat summer!" The other entertaining one said this below a picture of a sunset: "This time has now ended." Kids say the darndest things!
I also said goodbye to my little guy Sammy. We had a fun week searching for the characters in his vents and I also witnessed him saying what might have been his first cuss word. Now I know that cussing is bad and it has the power to speak negative volumes about your character, but hearing it come out of Sammy's blunt but innocent mouth was the funniest thing I heard all week. His parents helped me move my box spring and mattress to the storage unit and then we went to dinner. Lots of laughs and a nice way to end our year together. I am really going to miss all of them this summer. I am glad that we will have email access in Kenya. It will be nice to get updates on what they are doing and how Sammy is changing over the summer. Keep your fingers crossed, this might be the summer they kiss those pull-ups goodbye!
I went fishing with Poppa G on Monday. I caught several blue gill and a few bass. It was very peaceful and very relaxing.
SIDE NOTE: I have turned my phone off twice now in the last few days. It is a really nice feeling. Sometimes my phone drives me nuts.
I leave for Europe in 6 days. OH MY GOODNESS! Where has all the time gone? It doesn't matter, I am so excited to get out of here and experience what lies ahead!
Kelly sent us some more recent pictures of the boys. I barely recognized little Isaac. My how he has changed. It makes me feel old! They made a paper chain thing to hang on their fireplace showing how many days left until Rob got to Kenya. BTW...he made it safely and will be there for the next three weeks. Please pray for all of them!
The book list has grown to 16 books. I might have to make a few cuts when it comes time to packing those beautiful hardback heavyweights into my suitcase. Thanks again for all of the suggestions! I will post my final list prior to my departure.
Thanks for sifting through all of the updates! Until I post again...adios, or should I say, arrivederci!
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